I've looked into getting rid of Angel entirely, and I think it COULD work. We'll see.
All your other suggestions are great!
As for the video game footage, I never intended to splice that in, but I AM looking for some peace of dialogue where they may reference Nightcrawler's departure. In fact, I'm nearly 99% positive I heard that his absence was addressed in the game. I would try to work it in as an off camera, "L cut" of audio, maybe during an exterior shot, or the montage of the busy school (like while that kid is flying the paper airplane through the halls). I guess the "many months later" business can gloss it over, but I'd love to be able to do something a little more specific for him, since he's such a great character.
Just a quick note on the special effects - I HATE the wire-work in X3. That final battle scene is just embarrassing. I'll definitely be addressing that somehow!